


Lemon Drops

by blackfin



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Edelgard is Lysithea's Mother, Mentions of past abuse, Spoilers, balance of both, lil bit angsty, lil bit fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 19:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20314951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackfin/pseuds/blackfin
Summary: Edelgard knew it was cruel to feel anything other than excitement, especially since Lysithea is practically bouncing with exuberance at getting offers from so many different schools, but circumstance and her own past tragedies come back to haunt her in what should be a happy occasion.





	Lemon Drops

**Author's Note:**

> This is for anonymous!   
You can follow me on tumblr @ blackfen or on twitter @ tenebrisfen

She knew it was cruel to feel anything other than excitement but given the circumstances, those with more emotional awareness than Lysithea would understand why she was so apprehensive. Her little girl was a mature, intelligent child, one who could easily pick up on and decipher moods and atmosphere (a most vital skill for someone in her position) but she was still just a child. Even if she could pick up on Edelgard’s discomfort, that didn’t mean she would understand. There were so much she didn’t understand, couldn’t comprehend. If she were to try to explain to her, it would only unnecessarily dampen her well earned excitement. Maybe in time, she would be able to explain to her why something that would be so simple, so mundane as this would inspire such anxiety but for now, Edelgard was determined to keep a small, pleased smile on her face as she watched Lysithea sort through all the offers she had received over the past month. 

Relaxing in a nearby chair, resting her cheek on the curve of her fingers, Edelgard idly read through one of the offers Lysithea had excitedly handed her, her bright pink eyes glittering happily. There was an adorable flush of red in her flushed cheeks. Edelgard had to bite the side of her tongue to keep herself from telling Lysithea to be calm down. While too much excitement wasn’t good for her little one, this wasn’t the time to be reminding her of that. It might be an over extension of her energy that she would come to regret later but Edelgard couldn’t stand the thought of limiting her just because she would be worn out when night came around.

“What do you think, Mother?” Lysithea asked breathlessly, shuffling through the papers, her gaze roaming over the elegantly inked words. There was hardly any difference between the multiple letters, all said nearly the same thing: come to our school, we have so many more benefits and would perfectly suit such a talented princess. The overly sappy language made her want to tear some of them to shreds. 

Edelgard didn’t answer right away. So many schools were already chasing after Lysithea. She supposed, in a way, that was her fault. There was no way to properly hide her from a world that put so much value on crests, and what power those damned things would bring. How the specific information on Lysithea possessing two crests got out, she didn’t know but the Gods could be rest assured, she would find out. Whoever let Lysithea’s condition slip would pay dearly. All of her effort to keep her child safe, lost because someone couldn’t keep their mouth shut. The schools played it like they were simply after her magnificent magical powress but she knew, she could read the greediness, the hunger between the lines. All of them wanted to use her precious child, just as she too was used. Edelgard’s perfectly practiced smile faltered for just a moment before she was quickly able to compose herself. Not quick enough, however, as Lysithea looked up at her, concerned. 

“What is it, Mother? What’s the matter?” Lysithea asked, setting the pile of papers down to slide over to her side. Small, pale hands rested in her lap as those big, pink eyes gazed up at her. A blossom of warmth bloomed in the center of her chest as she looked down at her daughter. She was so beautiful, it was almost startling. How could a being so perfect, so incredible come out of something that was so horrific and painful? It was not the first time she had asked herself such a question and not the first time she came to the same answer: she was her reward for during that hellish time. Lysithea was the rainbow after a tumultuous storm. She was that bright shaft of light peering through the darkness. She was her everything, and Edelgard would do everything in her power to protect her. It was just so hard sometimes. Despite everything she’s ever done to ensure the safety of her daughter, this polluted world always seemed to find something else to throw at her. 

Stroking her soft, white hair, Edelgard smiled a little more brightly, “It’s nothing, darling. Only your Mother lamenting that she’s not going to have her precious little girl around for a while.”

“Oh, Mother.” Lysithea laughed, all the worry vanishing from her face, replaced with a comforting childish glow, “It’ll be alright. I’ll come home to visit you all the time! Besides, we know knew this day was coming! At least a lot of these schools are close. You may even be able to come visit me.”

Edelgard laughed, “Wouldn’t that be something, my dear. Imagine the look on your fellow schoolmates’ faces as the Emperor comes striding down the hall. Though, I would like that. Perhaps I could take you and all the friends your going to make on a picnic.”

The bright glimmer in Lysithea’s eyes became even more pronounced, “That would be wonderful, Mother but first, we must find the right school! There’s so many good choices, I don’t know even where to begin.”

“Perhaps one closest to a bakery?” Edelgard asked teasingly, earning herself a heatless reproachful glare, one that was proven moot by the smile that Lysithea couldn’t quite wipe off her face. Chuckling quietly, she fell silent once more as Lysithea continued to shuffle through the papers practically begging her to attend their respective school. She didn’t feel guilty for feeling anxious or worried. After all, even if it weren’t for the obvious motivation behind these schools reaching out to Lysithea, she would still be sending her young daughter to a school where she would be surrounded by children three to four years older than her. Lysithea was a friendly girl, one who, despite having a rather isolated upbringing (not out a choice but because her constitution was always so weak) but could she even make friends with other students? To an adult, a difference of three to four years didn’t mean much. Why, she had friends that were five, ten years younger or older than her, and hardly blinked an eye at the difference but there was a world of difference between a 12 year old and a 15 or 17 year old. 

No matter how adult or friendly Lysithea was, there might not be a chance to bridge that gap. And also…Edelgard sighed inwardly, a familiar pulse of pain thrumming in her temples. It was obvious that Lysithea was not a…normal child. Her hair, her eyes, everything screamed that she was different. Several of Edelgard’s advisors had repeatedly suggested using a potion or something to alter the color of her hair, her eyes to make her less conspicuous but even though Edelgard was fond the idea, Lysithea was firmly against it. 

“I shouldn’t have to change just to make other people comfortable!” She always declared, stamping her foot or turning her head away with enough force to send her long hair flying. 

Edelgard had tried to argue with her on it the first couple times but it quickly became painfully obvious that she didn’t quite grasp why she would need to change…and Edelgard didn’t have the heart to force her into it. There was already so much she had to deprive her of, so much that had to be done to keep her safe, it felt unfair to make her change something about herself when she loathed the idea so, of course, Edelgard relented, promising her daughter that she would never force her to change something about herself. While the temptation was still there, she kept it to herself. Lysithea passed her another letter, and Edelgard tried to make herself concentrate on it but the words were a blur. In all honesty, she was terrified. How could she just…let her daughter go to some random school where who knew what might happen to her? When she was inside the castle walls, Lysithea was safe, Edelgard made sure of that but out there? There was so much that could go wrong. 

Biting the interior of her cheek, Edelgard sternly scolded herself. She…she was not going down that train of thought ever again. She had already experienced how dangerous it could become to think that way. Her pregnancy with Lysithea had been…difficult, to say the least. It was a pregnancy she hadn’t wanted. Not one that was forced upon her, thankfully but one that left her weeping hysterically in her bedroom. There was no joy, no happiness in those tears, only a horrific knowledge of what kind of child she would carry. She had been warned, multiple times, to never conceive, that the result would be an unbearable stress on both her and the child. No one knew what the affect the torturous experimentation she underwent during her youth would do to her own child. Still, despite all the risks, she decided to turn down the advice from all her advisors and friends to terminate the pregnancy. For whatever reason, she had become pregnant and would not toss aside that miracle so carelessly. 

It…it was hell on earth. Nearly as horrific as having the Crest of Flames forced onto her. She couldn’t remember the exact time that the doctors figured out that the reason she was in so much agony was because Lysithea, still growing inside her belly, toted two crests, meaning that, for the duration of the pregnancy, she would have four. Her body was bearing the tremendous weight of four crests. She spent the pregnancy alone, only surrounded by a small number of well trusted aides to help her through the terrible symptoms of carrying a child with two crests. Her own two crests worsened the affect it had on her body, nearly rendering her immobile, suffocated by pain, exhaustion and nausea for the seven months she carried Lysithea in her stomach. She could still hear the doctors, the nurses, the Crest scholars, all of them whispering behind their hands that neither she nor the child growing inside her would survive through labor, why hadn’t she terminated the pregnancy, why did she continue to refuse to terminate the pregnancy? Imagine what would become of the Empire if she died. 

Edelgard blocked them out. At first, she carried her child to fruition out of a sense of duty – the baby was hers so she would do right by them but…the slightest burn of tears tingled the corners of her eyes. Predictably, labor had nearly killed them both. By that point, she was so weakened that it required the intervention of magic to help her through. Lysithea was born, letting out a rattling gasp that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up. Edelgard passed out a few moments after the ordeal was finally over. It was a day later that she awoke and one of her aides carefully placed little Lysithea into her arms. The sight of her scrunched up face, that crown of soft, downy hair (bright white, just like hers), the feel of her warmth bleeding through the blanket…she knew…she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she had made the right choice. Before, there hadn’t been love, only duty but the moment she laid eyes on her, a love that was as vast as the cosmos grabbed hold of her, leaving her breathless and violently weeping. When the aide tried to take Lysithea away (which he later explained was driven by a fear that the hysterical Edelgard might crush her accidentally), she had…well, she hadn’t reacted well, grabbing a nearby dagger and bringing it right to his throat, fully intending to slice and would have if Hubert hadn’t taken hold of her wrist. 

All the aides were ushered out of her room, leaving her to slowly recover, holding Lysithea in her arms, only reluctantly relinquishing her when she needed something Edelgard wasn’t strong enough to provide yet. She was a sickly baby who struggled to breathe, to keep food down, to go to the bathroom – every necessary function of a human being was impeded by those two crests. A team of the best healers in the Empire were called to tend to her. Those moments when she couldn’t hold Lysithea in her arms, when she was gone for her sight was even more torturous then the entire pregnancy. She constantly worried for her, required that the army of healers be nearby at all times on the terrible chance that Lysithea’s healthy took a turn for the worse. There were so many scares, for both child and Mother but a few long months later – months spent in agony, doing her best to balance her duties as Emperor and as a Mother, stealing every moment she could to hold Lysithea in her arms (she even sneaked her into the war room a few times; Lysithea was such a quiet baby, she hardly made a peep), both she and Lysithea were…well, not given a clean bill of health but good enough that the healers were certain that neither of them were in danger. 

The reassurance that they were no longer in danger did nothing to assuage her anxiety. She still couldn’t bear to be away from her beautiful Lysithea for long periods of time. Whether they were apart or together mattered little to her own worries. During the first few years of her life, Edelgard was, in hindsight, unnecessarily protective. Born out of Lysithea’s physical condition, her own trauma, the terror that someone might take her precious daughter away from her, her obsession with keeping her child safe drove her to some rather embarrassing means, all in the name to keep her safe. Limiting who was able to come into contact with her; rigorously regulating what she ate; ensuring that everywhere she went as she learned to crawl, to walk was carefully inspected so that there were no corners for her to bump into, no steps for her to fall down; having even the slightest cough investigated by her team of onsite healers. It was…excessive, to say the least. When Lysithea was just a baby and a toddler, it never occurred to her that this sort of thing was oppressive but as she grew older, she started to become resentful of how Edelgard’s behavior. 

It came to a boiling point when Lysithea snuck outside to chase after some birds. To this day, she still felt mortified at how she reacted. Hysteria was not something she often allowed herself to fall into but that day…no, she couldn’t even stand to think of it. All that needed to be said was that she overreacted, leading to a screaming match between her and Lysithea. In the end, despite it leaving both of them feeling terrible, it was something that needed to happen. Edelgard learned of how suffocated Lysithea felt; Lysithea learned how terrified Edelgard was of anything happening to her. When they had both calmed down, a very length discussion occurred between them. She…she would never be able to describe to anyone the relief she felt when Lysithea slipped down from the chair that was far to big for her and climbed up into her lap, pushing her teary face into her chest. Squeezing her tightly, her nose pressed to her hair, breathing in her comforting, familiar scent, that was when Edelgard fully realized that things needed to change. She had to put herself into Lysithea’s shoes – could she stand to be treated like this? Even if she knew the reason behind it was the terror of loving a love one, could she really stand by, complacent, as every aspect of her life was controlled?

No – that answer was clean and simple. It was a little embarrassing that it took her that long to realize how much she would hate how she was acting if she were on the other side of it. 

Lysithea agreed to be more careful, and Edelgard agreed to stop being as protective. It was a complicated, lengthy process with a lot of mess ups, a lot of conversations, some tears and some frustration but ultimately, she was proud to say that she had gotten to a point that the thought of sending her precious daughter off to a school that wasn’t immediately nearby the castle but rather possibly up in the mountains or in a completely different city was something she was actually allowing to happen. If that wasn’t progress, she didn’t know what was. Brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face, Edelgard glanced over to Lysithea, sitting completely unaware of that journey she’d just taken into the past. In all honesty, she still didn’t know if she would be able to go through with it. Certainly, it was easy right now to say that Lysithea could attend any school of her choosing but on the day of, she wasn’t so sure that she could say good-bye. They had never been separated for extended periods before. 

But…seeing the excitement in Lysithea’s eyes, knowing that this was something she wanted so dearly, Edelgard knew she couldn’t let that overprotective streak get too out of control again. If this was something her good girl wanted, then it was her duty as her Mother to do everything in her power to provide it. 

“This is hard, Mother.” Lysithea whined, flopping down onto the table, the papers fluttering a little. “Each one of them has a huge list of pros and cons! How do I pick one when they all sound good but none of them have exactly what I would want?”

“How about,” Edelgard stood, holding her hand out to Lysithea, “we get some tea, some cakes and take a little break then when you come back, you’ll have a fresh, relaxed mind to tackle this decision once more. While you’re eating, you can make a list of what is most important to you that you would want from your school and will be able to compare that to the letters when we get back. You need to give your eyes a rest, anyway. If you keep reading over them, I fear your eyes might pop out in protest.”

Lysithea’s ears perked up at the mention of cakes. Elegantly straightening up, she made a show of pretending to think about it for a moment before sighing in an overexaggerated fashion, doing her best to look uninterested – an absolutely adorable act that she could never quite understand why Lysithea always put on whenever she made mention of sweets and cake. If she had to guess, it was due to not being want to be seen as a child, though she could never understand what about sweets and cake was childish given that anyone of any age could and did enjoy them, “I suppose that would be the best course of action. All of these offers are starting to run altogether anyway and I should make a list, as well as do some research. There must be some information on each of the schools in the library. I need to write down each of the names so I can look later.”

“Come along, then. I’ll make sure that some of those lemon drop cakes you like to much will be waiting for us. Perhaps we should also have some of the ginger tea as well. I know you really like that one.”

The prospect of lemon drop cakes was immediately enough to get Lysithea out of her chair. Jumping up, she raced over to Edelgard’s side, slipping her smaller hand into hers. Bending down to press a kiss onto the crown of her head, Edelgard offered a soft smile, one that Lysithea sweetly returned. Together, they walked out of the room, leaving all of the offers behind. It would be difficult, more than difficult even but she wanted to give her adorable daughter everything the world could offer. There was a whole beautiful life spread out in front of her. She wasn’t about to be the one to limit what she was capable of. Having two crests would already dampen so many opportunities. It would take away more than it could ever give. She didn’t need to be another obstacle in her way. She needed to be a pillar of support; someone always there to catch her if she should fall, someone to help her through any problem. Edelgard was determined to be the Mother she never had, even if it meant having to go through the difficult process of slowly letting her go. 

“Mother?” Lysithea suddenly said, her soft voice filtering in through her thoughts. 

“Yes, little love?”

“Are you alright? You’ve been so quiet ever since we started looking through all those letters.”

“Yes, I’m alright.” Edelgard replied reassuringly, “I will just miss you terribly when you leave for school.”

Lysithea was quiet for a moment then softly admitted, “I’ll miss you too.” Another moment of silence then, “It’s going to be scary to be away from you. Every time I think about it, my stomach feels all funny. I don’t like it.”

Edelgard’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at Lysithea being so straightforward. Coming to a stop, she knelt down, bringing herself to eye level with her precious daughter. Smiling gently, she cupped her warm, soft cheeks in the curves of her hands and said, “It will be but you’re strong, Lysithea. The first few days will be hard but all too soon, you will be surrounded by friends, absorbed with your studies, having fun day in and out, exploring a brand new place, and the fear of being placed into a new place, of being separated from me will become a distant memory.”

“Will you be okay? I know that this has to be difficult for you since we’ve never really been separated before and if this does worry you, I want you to tell me.” 

Edelgard laughed softly, “I will miss you and worry for you but I will be okay. If it’s for my beautiful girl, I will preserve.”

Lysithea rolled her eyes, though she looked comforted by those words, “Don’t be so dramatic. We’ve already agreed that I’ll come home often and you’ll come visit me. As if I could leave you alone for extended periods. Who knows what kind of trouble you might get into.”

“Yes, yes.” Edelgard chuckled, straightening back up, “I’m so proud of you, Lysithea, and I love you dearly. Don’t ever forget that.”

Lysithea snorted, lifting her chin haughtily, “As though I could forget with how many times you say that.”

“I only say it because it’s true, little love.”

Rolling her eyes once more, Lysithea walked away, Edelgard following behind her, chuckling. Yes, she would be okay. It would be rough but if there was one thing she was an expert at handling, it was rough, painful situations. She never would’ve thought that everything she would have endured would eventually lead to her being able to handle something like this. If anything, thinking about how her past self would react if she were to learn that all that agony, all that torture would eventually lead to her being able to stand strong in the face of something truly terrifying, was a rather hilarious thought. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the shock. Though, she…she was certain that it would end up, ultimately, being a happy thought. 

“I love you too, Mother.” Lysithea mumbled, the tips of her ears a bright shade of pink. 

“I know, darling.” Edelgard replied, how pleased she was evident in her voice. Quickening her pace, she swooped down, gathering her precious daughter up into her arms. Spinning around, she squeezed her close, peppering little kisses all over her face as she both protested and giggled. Her Lysithea deserved the whole world so that was exactly what Edelgard was going to give her and the first step towards that was making sure that the school she picked was the best one for her.


End file.
